Football: Who Will Run The Camden And Regent's Park Youth League?

WITH eight weeks to go before one of the biggest youth football leagues in London returns to action there is just one question remaining: who will be running it? 

Scores of promising young footballers from across Camden and Islington are counting down the days until the Camden and Regent’s Park Youth League kicks off for its 11th season. 

There is no question that the league is going ahead, but now it’s down to the teams to decide just who is at the helm. 

Current organisers Camden Council and the newly-formed Camden and Regent’s Park Youth League Ltd are both finalising their proposals for how the 2011/12 campaign will be run. 

Their detailed recommendations will then be passed on to Tony Louki from the West Euston Partnership and David Ellis from the Royal Parks, who will act as independent adjudicators and pass the information on to all the clubs. They will then tally up the responses and the party with the majority vote will run the league. 

The Camden and Regent’s Park Youth League Ltd has been set-up by coaches Emma Hayes and Ash Rahman, who have said they want to give “the league back to the community”. 

Ash, who will also be teaming up again with former Camden Sports Development officer Will Cave, said: “Both myself and Emma have been involved in the league since day one. Since then we’ve both gained valuable experience running a number of community-based projects, which we want to share with all the clubs. We want to take the league back to its roots and give it back to the community.”

Head of sport and physical activity at Camden Council, Nigel Robinson, said on Tuesday that the most important thing is that there’s a democratic vote and that every club in the league “has a voice”.

“A group has come forward with the view to running the league independently. We have a responsibility to all the clubs to make sure that they have a voice when it comes to who will be running the league. The majority will decide and if they vote in the new group then we will happily step away. I don’t want two leagues, there’s only going to be one provider.”

Published: 21 July, 2011
by STEVE BARNETT